Art Museum Visit - Kara Crouch

When visiting the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, The Ark by Melissa Miller impressively caught my attention. Miller painted this piece in 1986 using oils on linen. It is a large painting, vividly filling two canvases. Though the pictures included are blurry, I will evaluate such features of the work as line, shape, space, lighting, and color which are best appreciated when seen in person. I will also consider the basic art principles of balance, rhythm, and emphasis while recognizing the technique and details of the painting itself.
Many lines, both actual and implied, are utilized in The Ark. The clouds and the horizon line create a fundamental horizontal line throughout the work, while the vertical lines of the oncoming storm create balance in the background. The positions of the animals imply several lines such as the standing horse and lion facing the left of the painting, directing the viewers’ attention to the approaching storm. The lines created by the flying birds draws attention toward the dark, cloudy sky. The combination of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines creates a sense of chaos, which the artist also expresses through the animals faces and body language.
Miller painted organic shapes to represent the animals in their true life form. With the varying shapes and sizes of the different species, again a feeling of chaos is present; however a sense of unity is also created because all of these different animals are together during this critical time. For the most part the animals are presented in the foreground, with a few animals, such as the elephants, in the middle ground. Miller likely placed the larger elephants farther back as to not overpower the painting with their size. Likewise, she painted the smaller lizards, birds, and turtles in the foreground to emphasize their presence among the larger animals.
The Ark comprises very little negative space. The frantic animals fill the foreground, while the brewing storm makes up the dreary background. Depth of the painting is created by the layering of the animals and particularly the owls in the sky flying toward the audience. The blank sandy areas in the foreground balance the busy space filled by the animals, while a few breaks in the clouds ease the looming appearance of the storm.
The source of light in Miller’s painting is implied. The viewer does not actually see the sun because the dark clouds are blocking it; the breaks in the clouds are a light orange color, implying the presence of the sun. The natural sunlight is also breaking through the falling rain on the left side of the painting. Shadows are created by indistinguishable shapes of dark gray on the ground. The shadows are muddled because the animals are so close together.
The dominant colors in the painting are earthy greens, browns and grays, but white, blue and orange are also included. The colors are warm, dark, and dreary to create a sense of fear and danger approaching the animals. Miller utilizes complementary colors to create the different hues of orange-browns and gray-greens because when the opposite colors are mixed, dull colors are created. Atmospheric perspective is recognizable in the bluish-gray of the background, while the foreground colors of the animals are much brighter and prominent. However, the overall painting is quite dark, with little balance provided by the white birds and lighter-colored animals.
It is easy to recognize balance in this painting because a central line separates the two panels. The light of the left panel is created by the rainfall and the white furs and feathers, while the light of the right panel is balanced by the white flying birds, and the upright, lighter-colored horse and lion. The left and right sides are also balanced as the clouds evenly carry across the entire span of the painting.
The focal point of The Ark is the standing horse. It stands out as the largest animal in the painting, and it is lightly colored compared to the dark clouds and other animals. It is an important focal point because it points the viewers’ attention to the rainfall coming toward the animals.
The rhythm of the clouds along the skyline and the falling rain below them creates unity across the painting, while depicting the intense danger and fear of the situation. The pairs of animals (repetition) also represent unity and strength among the animals during their crisis.
Melissa Miller’s The Ark is a two-dimensional painting using oils on linen, which combined makes for a very unforgiving canvas. I would assume the linen soaks up the oily paint rather quickly, making it hard for Miller to correct any mistakes. The lines and colors create distinct differences in the objects, but the texture creates the same flat, cloth-like appearance throughout. From further away the painting looks smooth, but closer up, the texture of the painted cloth canvas is visible. Being painted just 23 years ago, I imagine The Ark looks very much the same today as it did in 1986.